Unit 4, Part 2

From Every Corner of the Land

Short Stories

Short Story – brief work of fictionNo specific lengthUsually between 500 words and 50 pagesShort enough to be read in one “sitting”

Elements of a Short Story

Plot

Characters

Setting

Theme

Point of View

Tone

Mood or Atmosphere

Symbol

Plot

Plot – sequence of events that make up a storyConflict – struggle that the main character faces

External – character struggles against an outside force Character vs. Character

Character vs. Nature

Character vs. Society

Internal – character struggles with opposing feelings, beliefs, needs, or wants

Resolution – resolves the conflict

Plot Structure

Exposition – introduces the characters, setting, and conflict

Rising Action – conflict increases in intensity

Climax – Turning point – highest point of tension

Falling Action – conflict lessens in intensity

Resolution – resolves the conflict Often subtle

Sometimes no resolution

Characters

Characters – the people, animals, or objects who participate in the action of the storyProtagonist – the main character

Antagonist – the character who is working against the protagonist

Characterization – techniques used by writers to develop and reveal a character’s personality

Setting

Setting – the time and place of the storyCan simply be the background for the storyCan play a crucial role in the story’s plot or conflict

Theme

Theme – main idea, central message, or insight revealed by the storyUsually implied

Reader has to piece together clues from the story

Often it is what the protagonist learns or how the character changes as a result of the story

Point of View

Point of view – perspective or vantage point from which a story is told First person – main character is the narrator and uses “I” throughout

Third personLimited – main character is outside the story and simply relates the story

Omniscient – main character is outside the story, but knows the thoughts and feelings of more than one character; even knows events that have occurred in the past that the characters don’t know

Tone

Tone – the writer’s attitude towards the characters, the reader, or the subject matterClosely related to the narrator’s voiceCool, detached, compassionate, understanding, etc.

Mood

Mood or atmosphere – the feeling that the story evokes in a readerUsually depends on the setting

Spooky, eerie, oppressive

Symbol

Symbol – person, place, or object that has its own meaning but also stands for something larger than itselfEx. Veil in “The Minister’s Black Veil”

Reading Strategies

Identify the conflict Interpret the themeRead passages aloud

Author’s Style

Author’s style – manner in which the author puts ideas into wordsSyntax – sentence style

Word Choice – adjectives?

Tone or emotional attitude – events suggesting emotions? Explanations?

Theme

Theme – message about life that the author seems to impart based on his or her literature

Latin prefix in-

In- A location or direction (in, into, within, on, or toward)

A negative (no, not, without)

If In- comes before a word that starts with p, we use Im-

See Word analysis on page 831

Stream of Consciousness

Stream of consciousness – follows the not-so-linear thought patterns of humans Presents sequences of thought as if they were coming directly from a

character’s mind

Leaves our transitional words and phrases found in traditional prose

Connects details only through a character’s associations

Flashback – interruptions in which an earlier event is describedMemory

Story told about a character

Dream or daydream

Switch in time to past

Greek Prefix Dys-

Difficult or bad

Dysfunctional (functional means working properly) = not working properly

Dyslexia (lexis means word or speech) = difficulty with words or speech

Dysentery (entry means intestine) = disturbance or difficulty with the intestines

Dyspepsia (pepsis means digestion) = difficulty with digestion

Dystopia (topos means place) – place filled with difficulty

Archetype

Archetype – plot, character, symbol, or idea that recurs in the literature or mythology of many different cultures across the world Hero’s quest – classic quest tales

Hero is on a journey to obtain something of great value

Hero encounters obstacles that test his or her character

Hero overcomes these obstacles, often with the aid of others, and often at great sacrifice

Hero receives a boon, or benefit, that is used to help others

Hero’s quest symbolizes the larger journey of life

Humorous Essay

Humorous essay – short, funny work of literature Hyperbole – exaggeration or outrageous overstatement

Understatements – downplaying a dramatic event, or saying less than what is meant

Opposite of Hyperbole

Idioms – expressions in which the literal meanings of the words do not add up to the actual meaning

Ex. “raining cats and dogs”

Dialect – ways of speaking that are particular to a region or group

Apostrophe and Personification

Apostrophe – literary device in which a speaker directly addresses a thing, concept, or person who is dead or absent

Personification – nonhuman subject is given human characteristics

Poetry of Robert Frost

Blank Verse – unrhymed iambic pentameter (5 repetitions of unstressed/stressed)

Pastorals – poems that deal with rural settings

How to read poetry

No punctuation – continue to read at the same pace

Comma, dash, or semi-colon – pause before continuing

Period, exclamation point, or question mark – Full stop

Latin Root –lum-

-lum- means giving off lightIlluminate – giving off lightLuminous – glowingIllumination- explanation (shedding light onto

something)